League Of NH Craftsmen

The Annual Craftsmen’s Fair came to a close last Sunday. It was a wonderful nine days, highlighted by our festive 75th Birthday Bash celebration with Tom Rush and fireworks.  The weather wasn’t always working in our favor — we did have some rainy periods — and the gas prices may have kept some from attending, but overall our attendance was slightly lower than last year.  If you were one of the attendees, we hope you enjoyed your visit and will plan to come next year (August 1-9 at the Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury)! And thanks to those completed our Fair survey. We greatly appreciate your feedback, as we use it to help us market the Fair.

Throughout the Fair, attendees had the opportunity to vote for their favorite piece of fine craft in the Living With Craft, CraftWear, and Sculpture Garden exhibitions.  We counted up the votes, and here are your selections for the Public Choice Awards:

Jeffrey Roberts’ Cherry Desk in Living With Craft
This award was sponsored by Davis & Towle Group, Inc.

Patricia Palson’s Origami Coat in CraftWear
This award was sponsored by the League of NH Retail Gallery Managers.

Iris Minc’s Lotus Leaves sculpture in Sculpture Garden
This award was sponsored by Robert & Rita Cricenti.

Jeffrey Roberts' Cherry Desk

Origami Coat by Patricia Palson

Lotus Leaves by Iris Minc

Each year, we hold a raffle to help support the League’s educational programs, and, as always, juried League member Tom Worcester has generously donated his handcarved bears as the prizes. The lucky winners are Eileen Casey from Keene (NH), who won the Praying Bear, and Sharon Doyle from Brookline (NH), who won the Begging Bear.

Eileen Casy and Praying Bear

Sharon Doyle and Begging Bear

Rare Bird

The general consensus this morning was that last night’s celebration was a blast. Lots of happy people enjoying good food and in a mellow groove with Tom Rush, punctuated with a fabulous fireworks display. Here are some highlights:

Tin Bacon and Eleanor enjoying the dinner

Kudos served along with good food and drink

Mount Sunapee Resort served up a delicious buffet dinner with ribs, chicken, and fish to approximately 400 craftspeople and fairgoers. During the dinner, Bev Wolf, the president of the League’s Board of Directors, thanked League staff members, volunteers, consultants, and Mount Sunapee Resort management and crew for their wonderful work on this year’s Fair. Terri Wiltse, League operations manager, then announced the best booth presentation awards. During the Fair, three booth jurors evaluated the craft booths and each selected what they considered to be the best. Juror #1 selected Gail Wilson (Booth 625), who is juried in mixed media-dolls. Juror #2 selected Sharon Dugan (Booth #705), who is juried in baskets. Juror #3 selected Natalie Blake (Booth #611), who is juried in clay. Laura Chowanski’s booth with her stitched fiber craft — Booth #619 — was selected as Best Educational Booth.

Also, 20 year awards were presented to juried members: Larry Areskog, Susan Scalara, Maureen Mills & Steve Zoldak, and Joe Godek. And this is the 57th year that Gordon Keeler, master woodworker, has participated in the Fair! 

Andy receives Blackstone Award from Susie

The dinner event was capped by the presentation of the Blackstone Award. This is one of the most important honors presented by the League. The Blackstone Volunteer Recognition Award recognizes the selfless efforts of a League volunteer, who has given in extraordinary ways to support craftspeople and craft education. The award was presented to Andy Hampton, who has served as the chairman of the Juried Members Forum and vice president of the Board of Trustees. He was cited for his “cheerful, open, tactful manner and warmth when working with others” and “how he puts the welfare of the organization ahead of his own goals.”

What a Rush

Tom preparing for his performance

The Performance Tent was packed for Tom Rush’s performance. Tom got his start by playing Boston-area clubs and coffee shops while a Harvard student. He made reference to those early days and sprinkled funny anecdotes with his folk and blues songs. Tom, who grew up in Concord, NH, remarked that he is still upset about the collapse of the Old Man of the Mountain, saying “It’s creepy to out-live a geologic formation. I guess I really am older than the hills!” He ended the concert by getting the crowd to sing along with “A Mighty Storm.”

A Crescendo of Color

Atlas PyroVision Productions put on a spectacular fireworks display after the concert ended. It was similar to the 4th of July display in Boston. The sky was shimmering with bursts of light and “oohs” and “ahhs” could be heard along with the thunderous sound of the display.  

It was a night to remember!

Scene from the 1934 Craftsmen's Fair

Hi, I’m Susie Lowe-Stockwell, the executive director of the League of NH Craftsmen, and am proud to be part of this vital and vibrant craft organization. Last year, we celebrated our 75th anniversary as an organization, and this year, the Craftmen’s Fair turns 75. In looking back at some photos of the first Craftsmen’s Fair (which took place in a barn in Crawford Notch) and those of subsequent years, I have noted a consistent theme: craftspeople displaying their craft and demonstrating their techniques with pride. While the Fair locations have changed and the number of the participants and fairgoers have grown significantly over the past 75 years, our members’ pride and enthusiasm for what they do remains constant.

Garry Kalajian giving a blacksmithing demonstration

The basic premise for the Fair hasn’t changed: it’s one of our primary venues for our craftspeople to showcase their work and for us to educate people of all ages about the techniques and craftsmenship used in the creation of fine craft. One of the most popular features of the Fair – the craft demonstrations and workshops — were introduced in the Fairs in the early 1980s.

This year our schedule includes 18 demos and 20 workshops, all designed to encourage adults and children to see and try their hand at a variety of craft techniques. Over the past couple of years, we have added other educational components to the Fair: a daily Tour with a Master, which provides fairgoers with in-depth information about a particular type of craft, and a Collector’s Forum seminar, which will be held this Friday at noon.

This being our 75th birthday, we are throwing a party — a Birthday Bash! We are thrilled that national folk and blues recording artist (and New Hampshire native) Tom Rush will be performing tomorrow night and that Atlas PyroVision Productions has planned a beautiful fireworks display. It will be a magical night! If you want to join us, tickets for the concert are still available on our website, www.nhcrafts.org.

Commemorative Print by William Mitchell

Also in celebration of our 75th, we have commissioned one of our juried members, William Mitchell, to create a commemorative print for this year’s Fair. Posters and limited edition serigraphs are available at the Fair and on our website. If you visit the Fair, you won’t want to miss one of the daily screenings of the League documentary, A League of Our Own: New Hampshire and the American Craft Movement, which tells the story of the League and New Hampshire’s legendary craft history. It is also available on DVD on our website, along with our updated history book, 75 Years of Handcrafted Excellence.

The League has survived because of the creativity, skill, and dedication of its craftspeople and the enthusiasm and support of our supporting members and craft enthusiasts everywhere. If you haven’t made it to the Fair yet, this is the year to attend! If you have visited us this week, I hope you enjoyed it. If you haven’t, there’s still time to join us in celebrating our 75th!

Nancy, a major Tom Rush fan

Hi, I’m Nancy O’Brien, and I am a temporary employee working at the Fair. You might say I’m a fan of Tom Rush and his music. A look through my music collection will reveal Tom’s music on albums, 8-tracks, cassette tapes, CDs, and yes, mp3s.  I’ve seen him in concert at Symphony Hall in Boston, and outdoors at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA.  After I married and moved to NH, my  concert-going pretty much moved to NH as well.  (It turns out my husband, who grew up in Cambridge,  had seen Tom in Cambridge, although sometimes that was by peeking in windows at the Club 47!)  The move to NH meant we often saw him in smaller venues: St. Paul’s School in Concord, the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord,  the American Stage Festival in Milford, and in Lowell, MA.  (And to prove it, here’s a copy of one of my tickets.)

Compared to my older sister Jan, though, I’m just a casual listener. You see, she started enjoying Tom’s music in the 1960s, at the Club 47 in Harvard Square.  She had all of his albums, and being one of three sisters sharing a bedroom at the time, I learned to know and love his music as well.  Jan eventually married and moved out west. Her love of his music continued. Her daughter grew up to Urge for Going, No Regrets, and Child’s Song.  Jan continues to go to Tom’s concerts out west, where The Triple Door in Seattle is one of her favorite venues.

Last year my sister Jan and her fiancé, both living in Washington, visited the Craftsmen’s Fair for the first time. This year, by no coincidence, they (now husband and wife) planned their visit out east to include a visit to the Fair.  Lo and behold, she learned that the 75th Birthday Bash at the Fair was to include a performance by Tom Rush! 

On Thursday night, Jan will again see and listen to Tom perform, as will her husband, and me and my husband. This time, though, she will bring a guest, her eleven year old grandson, Cassidy. East coast to west coast, through three generations, Tom Rush’s music continues to entertain and inspire……

Carrie and her hats

Beautiful weather at the Fairground

Although thunderstorms have buffeted my garden in Canaan over the weekend, the Mountain here at Sunapee seems unaffected. We have had temperatures in the high 60’s to mid 70’s with light breezes.  And even the occasional cloud burst is welcome, because the humidity breaks and people recall that autumn will come again…

Tomorrow, I’m planning to bring a picnic lunch and ride the chair lift up the mountain to enjoy the view… I hear the weather will be fine!

Parker Potter, his wife Nancy Jo and daughter Sophie

What makes a piece of fine craft so special is the person who made it and the story of how it was made.  So often, when we buy things these days, the makers are unknown to us, and the only real story is some company’s quest to fill a particular human need more efficiently than its competition.  But here at the Craftsmen’s Fair, you have the opportunity to put your hard-earned money directly into the hand of the person who actually made the wonderful piece you are buying and learn how your new treasure was made, directly from the person who made it.  The stories are as varied as the 200+ exhibitors here at the Fair.

To help visitors learn more about fine craft while visiting the Fair, there are daily “Tours with a Master.”  Each day at 10:30 am and 3:30 pm, a craftsperson or a collector takes visitors on a tour of the Fair that is focused on one particular craft medium.  These tours cover pottery, woodworking, glassmaking, fiber and stitchery, metalworking, and printmaking.  Each tour will start a brief overview of the medium and then continue on to a half-dozen or so exhibitors’ booths.  Not only do you get the chance to be guided around the Fair by an expert, you will also get the chance to compare and contrast the work of several different craftspeople working in the same medium. 

I have conducted the printmaking tours for three years now – as a collector rather than as a printmaker – and it’s amazing how much people can pick up in just 45 minutes.  Many people start my tour knowing a little bit, perhaps from a long-ago art class, and by the end of the tour, they are already starting to use some of what they learned.  Almost everyone comments on how much is involved in making even the most simple-looking print. 

Each tour provides detailed insights into how a particular kind of object is made, the range of possibilities within that medium, and all the choices that go into moving from inspiration to object.  The Fair is an amazing place to visit even if you don’t know anything about how fine craft is made, but once you gain some knowledge of the technique and skill involved, you gain a whole new appreciation for fine crafts and the people who make them.  Some people I’ve spoken with who don’t know much about the League or the Fair tell me that the work is really nice, but it seems awfully expensive. But the more you learn about how these pieces are made, you will then wonder why the prices are so modest.

Parker admires a print by League member Matthew Smith

In addition to our print collection – which fills the walls of our home and has spilled into an overstuffed flat file and five or six portfolio books – we have a collection of about a dozen handcrafted mugs. We started collecting them two years ago after donating several cute-sy, mass-produced tourist mugs (“I survived the entre at Uncle Fester’s Roadkill Café” and the like . . .) to Goodwill.  Most of our hand-made mugs cost little more than the mug from Uncle Fester’s, and none of them cost more than twice as much as a mass-produced mug.  But unlike the Uncle Fester’s mug, we’ll be drinking from our hand-made mugs for decades to come, and I’m confident that they will find a place in our daughter’s home for years after that.

It’s a modest collection, relatively inexpensive, but it gives us pleasure every single day.  Each morning my wife chooses the particular mug that best suits her mood and expectations for the day. A Sam Wild day is different from a Peter Sabin day.  I’m not a mug user,  so I enjoy the collection in a different way – as the family mug washer.  We keep our collection on a little shelf above the kitchen sink, and I take great pleasure in putting them away after I dry them.  Rather than having a set pattern, I arrange them differently each time, which allows me to see new things in each mug.

Collections can be monumental, like our print collection, or modest like our mug collection. Our mugs enrich the simple act of drinking (or in my case washing) a cup of tea every single day.   Collecting isn’t about having the biggest or the most or the most expensive; it’s nothing more than thinking about the connections between one thing and another, and the connections between objects and the people who make them.

All the collectors on this Friday’s panel discussion will tell you that the things they collect are great, but the people who make them are even more wonderful. When I come to the Fair each year, I’m excited to see what’s new in the booths, but even more,  I look forward to seeing the people who have made so many of the objects in my home. I guess, that’s why this is the Annual Craftsmen’s Fair, rather than a Craft Fair. And now, the rain shower has just let up, and I’ve got friends in the tents to visit before Gordon Keeler blows the horn signaling the end of the Fair.

Glassblower Harry Besset has been a juried member of the League for 24 years.  For the past five of those years, he has been doing demonstrations at the Annual Craftsmen’s Fair.  The roving Fair reporter caught up with him after one of his afternoon demos.

Harry doing his demonstration with juried member Tolland Sand looking on

“The great thing about doing demonstrations is that it gives me an opportunity to connect with people.  They get to see the real me…see how I work in my studio…how I make my living.  Many of the people who come to my demonstrations can relate to that, and I want to show them that this is not a ‘rarified’ skill, but one that anyone can do,” said Harry. His demos are informative and entertaining as he sprinkles in interesting anecdotes about the use of glass.  “It took me some time to get used to having all these eyes stare at me as I did my work. Now I would much rather do these demos than be working in my booth. I let my wife Wendy handle that; she is much better at helping people pick out the right glass pieces,” he said.

During our conversation, a fairgoer approached him, and a big smile came to his face.  “When I see Barbara, I know I am at the League’s Fair in Sunapee,” said Harry.  “That’s really what it is all about for me — seeing familiar faces.”  Barbara Nelson and her husband (who live in Nashua) have been coming to the Fair for 30 years.  What keeps Barbara coming back?  “I enjoy the individuality of the craftspeople and it is fascinating to watch how their work has evolved over the years,” said Barbara. She especially likes glass.  “When I look at glass, I get this great feeling in my gut.”  One of her first purchases was a set of dessert bowls from Harry and she comes back each year just to see him.

Juried League members Gordon Keeler (R) and Ethan Hamby

Gordon Keeler, long-time juried member of the League of NH Craftsmen (50+ years) has sounded the ceremonial horn to officially open the 75th Annual League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair. The craftspeople have put the final touches on their craft and demo booths, and people are streaming through the gates ready to see what these talented League members have created this year.  

Many people got a preview of the craft exhibitions, CraftWear, Living With Craft, and Sculpture Garden, and The Shop at the Fair last night during the Preview Party. Gary Robinson’s guitar contributed to the convivial setting and the Mount Sunapee Culinary Services provided delicious appetizers.  

It was also an event to recognize the creative and technical skills of the craftspeople whose work was selected for the exhibitions. Awards totaling $6,300 in cash and gift certificates were presented.  Thank you to all of the award sponsors for their support of the League of NH Craftsmen. Kristen Lincoln Johnson, the wholesale accounts manager for Josh Simpson Contemporary Glass and a CraftBoston staff member, had the enviable and difficult task of awards juror.  She has worked with the Society of Arts and Crafts, the Museum Company and more. 

And without further ado, here are the awards, award sponsors, and winners:

LIVING WITH CRAFT AWARDS:

Best in Show: Sponsored by Corzilius, Matuszewski and Krause Architects, PA.  This is their 21st year of sponsorship. Award recipient: KATHLEEN DUSTIN  for “Leek Blossom Pod”

Best in Traditional Design: Sponsored by Merrimack County Savings Bank.  Award recipient:  PETER MAYNARD  for Bow Arm Morris Chair

Best in Wood: Sponsored by Guild of New Hampshire Woodworkers.  Award recipient: JEFFREY ROBERTS for Cherry Desk

E.L. Grodin Best Collaborative: Sponsored by Edith L. Grodin. Award recipient: STEVE HAYDEN and DAVID LITTLE for “Land and Sea” Bedroom Set

Joe Tucker Metal Award: Sponsored by Norman and Nora Stevens. Award recipient: PAULETTE WERGER for Arboreal Floor Vase

Best in Two-Dimensional Design: Sponsored by Loring Stevens. Award recipient: LAUREN POLLARO for Tapestry II

Stevens Glass Award: Sponsored by Norman and Nora Stevens. Award recipient: TOM TALPEY for Table Lamp

Best in Ceramics- Functional: Sponsored by the NH Potter’s Guild since 1989.  Award for recipient: KEN PICK for (Stoneware) Table                                                     

Best in Ceramics- Decorative: Sponsored by the NH Potter’s Guild since 1989.  Award recipient: SUSAN LINK SILVERMAN for “Remains of Fire and Ice”

Best in Weaving: Sponsored by the NH Weaver’s Guild. Award recipient: ERICA PFISTER for Krokbragd Rug

Best in Fiber: Sponsored by Skyeview Alpacas, Jim & Sue King.  Award recipient: WEN REDMOND for “Crumpled”

Most Creative Print Award: Anonymous sponsor. Award recipient:  MATT BROWN for “Snow on Cannon Mountain”

Best in Baskets Award: Sponsored by Polly Allen. Award recipient: LYNN GOLDBERG and MARCIA HERSON for “Dual Inspiration Sconce”

SCULPTURE GARDEN AWARD:

Best in Show: Sponsored by Vahan and Anne Sarkisian.  Award recipient: IRIS MINC for “Lotus Leaves”

CRAFTWEAR AWARDS:

CraftWear Best in Show: Patricia Palson's Origami Coat

Best of Show Award: Sponsored by John & Jill Schiffman of Schiffman, Paul & Dittilio, PC. Award recipient:    PATRICIA PALSON for “Origami Coat”

Best in Jewelry:  Sponsored by Cordwainer Gallery of Fine Crafts. Award recipient: CAITLIN BURCH for “Essential Neckpiece”

Best in Metal Jewelry Award: Sponsored by Eleanor “Tin” Bacon. Award recipient: JOY RASKIN for “Silver Hedge Hog Bracelet”   

Best in Jewelry with Stone: Sponsored by Mark & Heidi Knipe of Mark Knipe Goldsmiths. Award recipient: JOY RASKIN for “Flames of Passion”

Best in Clothing: Sponsored by the League Retail Gallery Managers. Award recipient: ANNETTE FRYE for “White Waterfall”

Creative Sewing Award:  Sponsored by Arnold Goldstein of Martin’s House of Cloth. Award recipient:  BETH LUX for “Childhood”   

Best in Fine Sewing Award:  Sponsored by Gretchen Rath of the Portsmouth Fabric Co. Award recipient: BETH LUX for “Annabelle”

Arts for All Award: Sponsored by Governor’s Commission on Disability. Award recipient: NANCY HORRALL for “Lagoon Scarf”

Best in Mixed Media Jewelry: Sponsored by Gondwana  & Divine Clothing Co. Award recipient:  KATHLEEN DUSTIN for “Moss & Pods” Neckpiece

Best in Accessories: Sponsored by the Cordwainer Gallery of Fine Crafts. Award recipient: NANCY HORRALL for “Positive Outlook” Hat

Dorr Mill Award:  Sponsored by Terry Dorr of the Dorr Mill Store. Award recipient: ANNETTE FRYE for “Delphinium Shawl”

Best Use of Color Award in Weaving: Sponsored by Pam Grob of The Fiber Studio. Award recipient: PATRICIA PALSON for “Boogie Woogie” Jacket

Weaving With Wool Award:  Sponsored by Pat Colony of Harrisville Designs. Award recipient: PATRICIA PALSON for “Boogie Woogie” Jacket

Elegant Ewe Best in Knitting Award: Sponsored by The Elegant Ewe. Award recipient:DEBRA BURY for “Morning Dew”

N.H. Institute of Art Award: Sponsored by the N.H. Institute of Art. Award recipient: PATRICIA PALSON for “Origami Dew”

Please be sure to see these and the other beautiful pieces on display at the craft exhibitions.  

And you will also have a chance to vote for your favorite.  There is a ballot box at each of the exhibitions for you to cast your vote.  The winners will be announced on Saturday, August 9.  Thanks to the Public Choice Awards sponsors:  the League of NH Craftsmen Retail Gallery Managers, who are sponsoring the CraftWear award; Robert & Rita Cricenti, who are sponsoring the Sculpture Garden award; and Davis & Towle Group, Inc,, who are sponsoring the Living With Craft award.

Fair planning begins as soon as the previous Fair ends –even earlier if you count what I’m thinking about as I problem-solve this year.  Through the year, booths are assigned, contractors hired, performers, workshop instructors and demonstrators are scheduled; there are lots of details to be attended to right down to determining the best placement of the portable toilets.

The real fun begins once I start working at the fair site.  It is wonderful to see the realization from paper to actual.  This year work at Mount Sunapee Resort, in Newbury, NH began on July 14. Moving trucks arrived at our Concord Headquarters at 8 am.  Trucks were packed with all the materials stored in the barn at HQ.  Things like signs, mannequins for CraftWear, and any boxes and bags left over from the previous fair are stored in the barn.

Trailers arrive at the Fairground

Once we arrive at Mount Sunapee, the trucks are unloaded into the accounting office, fair office, and exhibition spaces.   There are three tractor trailer loads of equipment already onsite.  The trailers contain things like wall sections and pedestals for the exhibitions, some signs, and the stage for the performance tent. Almost everything in these trailers is heavy!  The wall sections for the Living With Craft exhibition are lifted by forklift up to the deck where staff carry them into the space which will be transformed from a bar to a professionally designed exhibition space.  We all go home from the first two days sweaty, dirty, and bruised.

During the first week of set up, the exhibition floors and walls are laid out according to a plan done by CraftWear designer, Joy Raskin, and Living With Craft designer, Alice LaPorte.  The display pieces are prepped and painted.  This year we had lovely breezy weather which helped the paint sooner than usual.  I also take a crew onto the field to stake for the major tents which started going up on Friday.

Exhibits are painted

This year there are 54 tents on the fairgrounds.  The largest is 80’ x 130’.  The smallest is 9’x 10’.  Everything except the exhibitions and food is located in a tent.  The tent crews start early in the day and work late so the first thing I do every morning during the first two weeks of set up is walk the fairgrounds to check on tent placement.  Mount Sunapee installed drainage ditches around the major tents to keep water out of the tents and help keep the most travelled areas of the fairgrounds as dry and mud-free as possible in the event of a wet fair.

Once the tents are up, booth layouts are measured out and flagged, electrical outlets ,and phone lines are placed.  Our wild and crazy electrical contractor, Eric Danielson of Specialized Power Systems, tells me that our fair pulls as much electricity as a small mall.  Most booths use between 500 and 1000 watts of electricity.  Electrical maps are carefully drawn up and executed to ensure that our tents don’t go dark in the event that someone turns on an 1800 watt hairdryer.

At the same time that tents are being outfitted with booth flags, tables, and chairs, the exhibitions are starting to form into vibrant spaces.  Craft work is delivered over a two-day period.  Designers are there to start placing pieces as they come in.  I LOVE delivery days and find time every couple of hours to wander through to see what incredible pieces have been dropped off since the last time I’d been through.

Howard Hatch's handcrafted pool table being placed in Living With Craft

Living With Craft is outfitted with bedrooms, dining rooms, rec rooms, sometimes even bathrooms.  This year, one vignette features an incredible pool table made by Howard Hatch.  Peter Bloch and David Little made a light fixture just for this vignette.  The whole thing is extraordinary and would look really good in your house!  CraftWear mannequins are truly being “outfitted” with clothing we all want.   This year, I particularly love an outfit by Annie Frye who is juried for felt making.  It’s a lovely silk outfit with variations of blue delphiniums.  Check out the insert at the bottom of the skirt too – just beautiful.

The final week before the fair is truly organized chaos.  Signs are mounted.  Name badges delivered.  Booths set up and filled with incredible goods.  Ticket gates stocked.  PR & marketing media plan completed. Fair office staffed.  Employees trained.   Food delivered.  Radios charged.  Exhibition title cards placed.  Security officers engaged.  First Aid station placed and on standby.  Finally, the lights are turned on, the official fair horn is blown and the gates are opened.

I’m already looking forward to starting on next year’s fair and have been taking notes regarding ways to make it even been next year.